


Make You Feel My Love

by sirensleader



Category: VIXX
Genre: ;), Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Drama & Romance, I have a serious cliffhanger problem, Multi, Or not, Sorry?, i have no idea how to tag this, this story ran away from me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-05-20 16:19:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14897888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirensleader/pseuds/sirensleader
Summary: What happens when an arranged marriage with the prince of a neighboring kingdom brings more than you would have expected?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally a request fill for one of our lovely followers ... however it spiralled out of control and turned into a rather long multi-part saga ... this is also probably the most popular story on our blog so I thought I would cross post it here to see how others might react and to potentially reach more readers to enjoy :)
> 
> ~ admin leader
> 
> ~*~
> 
> _Anonymous asked: Arranged marriage with Ken scenario, maybe? :4_

“Princess! If you would please!” You blinked and returned your attention to your advisor who was also your friend and tutor. You hadn’t meant to let your mind wander off again, but it was a habit you had yet to break. And honestly, listening to your advisor go over the schedule for the upcoming tournament and festival your father was holding was not the most engaging topic of conversation. “Now, as I was saying, your father has invited all of the best allies and knights for the tournament. Do your best not to disgrace your family and this kingdom.”

You sighed at the same comments that you had long since grown accustomed to. “Yes, Hakyeon.” You stifled your laugh with your hand at the look he gave you before he turned back to the folder he had in his hand with your itinerary and whatever else he carried with him.

“Also your father has said he needs to speak with you after lunch. So you should probably dress appropriately. And your riding time had to be canceled for today. You have another meeting after speaking with your father.” You looked at him, raising an eyebrow, but he simply shook his head.

“Hakyeon, what are you not telling me? And why can I not go riding today? I go every day.” You frowned slightly. You hated using the royal position as a way to get whatever you wanted, but knowing that he was hiding something, and that something was the cause of why you couldn’t go riding, that was more than tempting to exploit your status. “Hakyeon, I-”

Before you could say anything else, the door to your private study opened and your mother walked in. You had always been a little in awe at your mother, who could easily sway an entire kingdom with just the slightest comment or gesture, but you could tell from her expression that whatever she had come to say would not be pleasant to handle. She waved her hand at Hakyeon, barely sparing him a glance. “Leave us, Hakyeon. See to it that my daughter’s blue gown is prepared for tonight’s dinner.” You watched as he bowed to your mother before walking out of the room. As soon as the door was closed behind him again, your mother released the breath she had been holding with a small laugh. “One day I’ll ask him something so ridiculous, just to see his expression.” She moved to sit at the chair opposite your desk, giving you a look before sighing. “We’ll have to do something with your hair. Ask my maid to help you after lunch, and you should change into the gold brocade, the green one. We can’t have you looking like a frazzled clerk or governess.”

You frowned slightly, confused at what your mother was so concerned with your appearance for. “Why does it matter? I thought we weren’t receiving any of the visitors until dinner tonight?” You carefully watched your mother’s reactions to see if she would give any hints about what exactly was going on. Instead, she remained the impassive figure you knew and admired in diplomatic situations. It was a weakness of yours, you couldn’t manage to keep from showing what you thought or felt on your face, despite years of berating from both of your parents.

“We have a guest who is coming to stay with us a little longer than the others. So please be on your best behavior. It wouldn’t do to embarrass yourself in front of the entire seven kingdoms. Especially not with everything that is riding on this festival. Now, go practice your dancing. I’ve summoned your dance master and he should be in the grand hall.” She stood before giving your head an absentminded pat. “We’ll make a proper match for you yet.”

Before you could say anything about her matchmaking ideas, your mother had swept out of the room, leaving you to mutter your curses to yourself. Ever since your coming of age festival your mother had been determined to marry you off to some prince or another. Luckily for you, your father had agreed with your request to have some say in the candidates. However your mother had also build a failsafe into her negotiations. If you had stayed unwed three years after your coming of age, she would pick a husband for you of her own choosing. While you still had a year, you knew it was getting close. That’s why you were taking this festival and tournament somewhat more seriously than you had the ones in the past. Although you still weren’t convinced there would be anyone of note attending.

~*~

Your dance lessons lasted until lunch and as always, you left in a foul mood. It wasn’t that your dance master was harsh or a bad tutor, you just hated having to spend your time on dancing when you could be doing other things that you felt more important. You were an only child, and so when your father died, your kingdom would be added to whoever your husband was. It was a silly practice, and you wished you could take control of the kingdom for yourself. But rather than being given lessons on how to properly manage the kingdom, you were having to focus on more trivial matters, like dancing and such.

The only reprieve from your day so far was that lunchtime was always a small affair when there was a political dinner that night. And so rather than the entire household, you found yourself at a table with only Hakyeon for company. He smiled brightly at you as you sat across from him with your food. “Princess.” He nodded in the standard greeting, even though you hated the formalities between the two of you. “Now, I hope you’ll have a better afternoon than whatever your morning was like, if your expression is anything to judge by.” His teasing grin made you want to throw your bread at him, but after years of being punished for acting unladylike, you were wary of causing any ruckus in Cook’s area of the house.

Cook was an older woman who had been with your family for longer than anyone else could remember, and no one even truly knew her name either, simply calling her Cook. The biggest deterrent to causing any chaos in her area of the household though was the fact that she didn’t care who anyone was when it came to her domain, and she was merciless with her wooden spoon. Of course, once you earned her loyalty, she would also follow you to the ends of the earth.

“I’m sure you know better than I do how my afternoon will be, Hakyeon.” You frowned at him before turning your attention back fully to your meal, quickly working to finish it. Your mother had insisted her maid help you with your hair and dressing after you finished eating. And you simply wanted to be done with them as quickly as possible. You sighed, resting your chin on your hand. “I’m meeting with Father after I dress and then-”

“Then you have another meeting. And after that you’ll need to change and prepare for the dinner tonight.” Hakyeon wasn’t seeming to fall for the bait of answering what the other meeting was and you wanted to shake his shoulders until he told you. But instead he simply smiled at you, the familiar teasing glint in his eyes letting you know there would be no information from him on the matter.

You huffed and turned back to your food, eating in silence for a moment while Hakyeon attempted to go over more details about the tournament that your father was hosting. Although he seemed to be merely mentioning the various other members of royalty that would be attending. “Hakyeon, do you know who our champion is to be for this tournament? We do have someone prepared, don’t we?”

Hakyeon laughed with a bright nod. “Of course we do! And he’s a fierce one. Young, but unrelenting. He’s one of the knight trainees. Sanghyuk is his name, I believe. I watched him practice for a bit while you were riding yesterday. I believe he will win the tournament.”

You unconsciously leaned closer to Hakyeon as he spoke of the knight who would be your kingdom’s champion for the tournament, his enthusiasm fueling your own excitement. “And the other kingdoms? Do you know who they are sending as well? Hakyeon, you’re always the best at learning these things for me.” You playfully gave him your best pout but he just scowled at you.

“Am I just to be a gossip with you? I shouldn’t tell you who the others will be.” He took a sip of his ale, pretending to ignore you, but you could see the excitement in his feigned nonchalance. So rather than continue to question him (and possibly actually upset him), you sat and waited for him to grow impatient with the news. And that only took a few moments before he turned back to you with his familiar wide smile. “Okay, I can’t keep it to myself. But remember the two knights who nearly won the tournament that Lord Choi hosted for his nephew’s coming of age? And how they had nearly killed each other in some dispute afterwards? They’re both being sent as combatants. Taekwoon and Wonshik, I believe. So even if our fierce young knight loses, we’ll have those two fighting to keep us entertained.”

You smiled to yourself as you thought about the excitement to come with the tournament. While it might not be the most ladylike pastime, you loved to watch the tournaments. And if playing the fanciful princess was what it took to allow you to watch, then you would pretend to grant whatever knight your favor. It was mostly for show anyways, but the excitement of the tournament was something you couldn’t do without.

“Princess?” You blinked and glanced up to the voice from beside you. A small woman stood beside your chair before bowing in greeting. “I was asked to help you dress before your meeting with the king. If you are finished-?”

You sighed and nodded before standing. “Yes, let’s go. I’ll dress in what mother suggested and you can fix my hair.” You smiled to Hakyeon before leaving for your chambers.

~*~

When you were led into your father’s private study, you took a breath before crossing the threshold. While you knew there was no reason to be worried, you couldn’t stop the small bead of anxiousness from creeping up your spine at the way your father turned to look at you when you walked in. You bowed with a small smile, observing the formalities before rushing over to throw your arms around him in a hug. Although he seemed to stiffen and you pulled back with a confused frown on your face before he motioned behind you. “_____, you remember Prince Jaehwan, right?”

You turned to the person in question, barely keeping from frowning at your parents’ favorite in the matchmaking scheme. He held his head aloof, nodding in acknowledgment. You dropped into a small curtsey out of habit before turning back to your father in confusion. “Yes, father. His cousin is Prince Hongbin who’s kingdom borders ours on the east. We met at Prince Hongbin’s ball for his last birthday.”

Your father nodded before motioning to Jaehwan again. “Yes, his father is one of my closest friends. And we settled matters when I rode out to visit them last fortnight. You two will be married this spring after the prince’s birthday.”

You blinked in shock and confusion at your father before he nodded with a small chuckle and walked to the door. “I’ll leave you to chat and get familiar with each other. My advisor will step in to chaperone. And do try to get along, we’re announcing the betrothal at dinner tonight.”

Before you could say anything else, he walked out of the room and his advisor stepped into the room, standing at the doorway and promptly looking both bored and mildly offended at the task of chaperoning the two of you. You turned back to the prince who your parents had settled on you. He seemed to be almost amused by things and you stood straighter, stepping closer to him with a frown. “And just what are you smirking about? Are you laughing at me?”

The prince’s laughter burst out at your questions and you stiffened with a glare. How dare he laugh at you? You took a breath before turning to storm out of the room, only to be stopped by a hand on your wrist. As you spun around, you were faced with a very close Prince Jaehwan. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you. I just-”

You pulled your hand free, giving him another glare. “I believe I know enough. It’s obvious you are amused by my shock about the entire situation and think it suitable to laugh at me. Well, I would not do anything to ruin the tournament we are hosting. But just remember, this is my kingdom and I did not approve of this .. arrangement. I will play along for the sake of this tournament and my parents, but I do not like you, Prince Jaehwan.”

As you turned to storm out of the study, you heard his laughter again and his voice calling after you. “You will, princess. I’ll make you love me!”


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have most of this story already written (a total of ten chapters so far) and posted on our group's tumblr account, but I want to try and space things out on here to keep a somewhat steady flow? (although goodness knows I'm horrible sometimes at updating and the like) 
> 
> I do hope you enjoy, however, and you are more than welcome to comment or such (please do, I love hearing what people have to say)
> 
> And with that - I hope you all are having a wonderful day / night! :)

You frowned to yourself as you sat before the vanity in your room as one of your mother’s maids finished styling your hair into something your mother had demanded of her for the opening ceremonies and start of the tournament your father had announced as the celebration of your betrothal to Prince Jaehwan. You were expected to play the dutiful princess with your soon to be husband as you sat together throughout the ceremonies and tournament, and while you generally enjoyed the tournaments, the current company was already set to put a damper on your mood.

After your mother’s maid was finished with your hair, you were left to wait until the designated time where you and the prince would be announced to the people. Rather than sitting alone in your room (as Hakyeon had been sent ahead to ensure the viewing area was prepared) you wandered down to the grand hall, hoping to find some distraction or entertainment before the ceremonies. Instead of any such company, you simply found yourself face to face with the prince.

His smile was bright as he walked over to you, still laughing at something. “Ah, my beautiful princess! You just couldn’t wait to be by my side, could you?” The frown on your face made your dislike obvious, but he simply didn’t seem to care, continuing to smile at you. “I hear you have a new champion competing in this tournament? I wonder if he will be any match for my own Sir Wonshik?”

The teasing grin on his face made you scowl. “Of course, and he will win the tournament without giving any thought to your knight!” You turned to storm away, mentally wishing for your statement to ring true. You remembered watching the other knight compete in another tournament, and he was a formidable opponent.

“Would you care to make a small wager, princess?” You stopped and turned back to him with a frown as he continued, the teasing smirk steady on his face. “Simply between the two of us. A favor of the other’s choice.” He tilted his head with a grin and before you could stop yourself, you walked back over to stand in front of him, frown still on your face as you looked up at him, completely unabashedly.

“Sure. A bet on their match, and the one who loses will give the victor a favor of their choice.” When you held out your hand to seal the bargain, you were shocked at the feel of his lips against the back of your hand.

His laughter startled you as you jerked your hand from his grasp. And then he merely winked before turning to walk away before stopping and giving you another smile. “Shall we go, princess?”

Knowing that all eyes would be on you once you left the privacy of the castle, you took a deep breath and pasted on the smile you had learned from your mother before taking his arm.

~*~

The excitement from the tournament was always one of your favorite feelings and you had to keep yourself from inching closer to the edge of your seat as you watched the various opening matches, knowing that all eyes (especially your soon to be new family and husband) were on you.

As he was the youngest of three sons, the family inheritance for him was mostly gone, and he would be taking charge of your own kingdom after your father’s death, as you were the only child. So this tournament and festival was also a sort of trial for him as well. Although by his carefree actions, you couldn’t tell if he was even attempting to take matters seriously or not.

There was a burst of laughter from beside you and you turned to face the prince, merely to find him already looking at you. “I don’t think I’ve met a princess who cares much for tournaments. Another intriguing quality.” His expression turned teasing again as he continued, his voice pitched a little lower as he leaned over towards you. “Of course our wager match will definitely be something to look forward to.”

You felt your face heat slightly at the almost intimate implications, turning your face back to the knights who were preparing to fight. You smiled to yourself as you recognized one as Sir Taekwoon, the rival of Jaehwan’s knight. He was always a fierce combatant and you softly cheered at his quick victory.

Hakyeon laughed softly from behind you as he reached to hand you some wine. “As much as I hope our knight wins, I do love watching Sir Taekwoon fight.” His voice was soft enough that nobody else could over hear, but you couldn’t keep the laughter from bubbling out.

Ignoring the look from the prince, you turned back to Hakyeon with a bright smile. “And is that why you suggested Prince Hongbin as a match? So you could get closer to his knight?” You laughed again at the scandalized look he gave you.

“Princess! How could you suggest I would even think to do such a selfish thing? I was merely suggesting a proper match that could happen between you and another prince of a certain status and proximity. Besides, it won’t matter now. Although your prince and Prince Hongbin are cousins, so we’ll still get to see them often enough.” Hakyeon’s smile was teasing and you couldn’t stop the laughter from escaping again, earning another scowl from the prince sitting beside you.

There was a slight commotion of movement from the sands below you and you turned to find the new knight from your kingdom standing before you with a wide smile, although you could sense a majority of the smile was merely a teasing facade. He bowed deeply before you, smiling again at your nod. “Princess, I am Sanghyuk. I will win this tournament for you and your kingdom and serve you until my death. Please accept my service and grant me your favor.”

The teasing look in the knight’s expression made you smile as you stood, taking the light scarf Hakyeon had been sure to bring for you, just for this occasion. The fact that this knight seemed not afraid to look you in the eyes made you smile. It showed spunk, and you respected that. Besides, after your coming of age ceremony, your parents had started pushing you to assemble your own household, and if this one passed the final tests to be fully knighted, he seemed to be a good candidate for your own guard.

You walked down to the barrier and leaned over with an equally teasing smile as you motioned the knight closer. “Win the tournament for me then, Sanghyuk. I accept your service gladly.” You reached out to tie the scarf around his upper arm. As you slowly straightened back up, you had to bite your lip to keep from laughing at the wink the young knight gave you before he bowed again.

As the knight walked back to where he would face off against another of the knights, you sat in your seat again. Hakyeon leaned over to whisper in your ear again. “Okay, I like him. He seems feisty. And we both know what I think about that particular trait.”

You laughed again, smiling at your friend. While he took his duties as your advisor and tutor very seriously, he was also a great friend and knew how to make you laugh, even when you might not feel much like it. And while the tournament atmosphere and festivities was making you feel excited again, you were a little less enthusiastic than normal, simply because of the sudden marriage arrangement.

You took a sip of your wine again before turning your attention back to the match between Sanghyuk and another knight you didn’t recognize. You watched as Sanghyuk patiently waited for the other knight to reveal his tactics before quickly swooping in and defeating him in one swift attack. You couldn’t keep the cheer of excitement from bursting out as you clapped for the young knight, a blush on your face in embarrassment. Although, you smiled when you turned to face Prince Jaehwan beside you. “I do believe my knight will best yours.”

Jaehwan leaned closer to you, a slight smirk on his face. “Don’t be too rash, my dear princess. Be patient and we’ll see which of our knights is the victor soon enough.” He dipped his voice lower to where he wouldn’t be overheard. “Unless you’re simply anxious to give me a favor of whatever I choose.” You felt your face heating again as he leaned back in his seat, the hint of a smirk still on his face.

The other matches passed by in a bit of a blur, you only truly seemed to take note of the three knights as they fought their way through their opponents. When the time came for the match between Sanghyuk and Sir Wonshik, you felt yourself straighten again. This was it. You watched as Sir Wonshik bowed to the prince at your side, keeping your eyes on the two knights before you. When Sanghyuk stood after bowing to you, the playful smirk was on his face again as he gave you an almost imperceptible nod.

You jumped slightly at the feel of a hand taking yours, turning to find Jaehwan smiling at you before he stood, bringing you up with him, before walking to stand before the two knights. You didn’t know what he had planned and for a moment your heart stopped in panic before he raised his voice slightly, addressing both the knights and the crowd of spectators. “As the representative knights for your beautiful princess and myself, I hope this match will prove to be a worthy display of your individual skills and the pride you have in us, your rulers, and the kingdoms you call home. My beautiful betrothed, your princess, has spoken to me of her fondness for tournaments and the festivities that your kingdom holds, and I hope this match and the remainder of this tournament and festival will please her as much as the past festivities have. To our knights before us, may the best one win.” He smiled with a nod at the knights, bringing your hand to his lips again before turning to lead you back to your seats.

As soon as you sat down again, you leaned over to hiss at him, ignoring Hakyeon’s questioning look. “Why did you do that? And to exaggerate everything between us. I don’t like deceiving my people. Especially not when it is because of someone else.”

Prince Jaehwan merely laughed and gave your hand a slight squeeze, and you frowned for a moment, having forgotten he was still holding it. “Be patient, my princess. You’ll see it wasn’t an exaggeration, you won’t have deceived anyone. Now, would you miss the chance to watch our match, simply arguing with me?”

You frowned before turning back to the knights who were standing and awaiting the signal to begin the fight. As soon as the signal was given, you watched intently as both knights seemed to be taking stock of the other. You leaned forward in your seat slightly, the anticipation coursing through your own veins, as if you were the one in the fight. With a sudden flash, they attacked and you couldn’t keep from jumping slightly at the eruption of noise. The two knights seemed to be evenly matched and you anxiously watched, softly cheering for Sanghyuk whenever he landed a blow that you hoped would send the other knight to his defeat. However, Sir Wonshik was a skilled fighter as well. The match seemed to drag out longer than the others that had seemed to pass in a blur.

Just when you thought the match would end in neither knight truly winning, Sanghyuk landed a blow and kick, sending Sir Wonshik to the ground and Sanghyuk was quick to pounce for the finishing touch, holding his sword just above Sir Wonshik’s neck as he half stood on top of the other knight. He turned to face you, and you stood from your seat, clapping with a smile as you nodded. Sanghyuk moved to bow before you, removing his helmet and giving you the smirk that you were coming to think was a trademark expression with him.

Prince Jaehwan stood beside you and clapped before leaning over to whisper in your ear. “It appears you’ve won, my princess. Choose your favor carefully. Anything you ask of me, whenever you like.” He turned back to the knights, raising his voice to be heard by everyone again. “Wonderful match! Congratulations on your victory, young Sanghyuk. You have served your princess well.”

Before he could say anything else, an arrow suddenly sailed past you and there was a second of pause before the platform erupted into chaos. You felt Jaehwan pushing you to stand behind him as he shouted at someone about a sword. You glanced behind you to find the arrow had lodged itself in your father’s neck and you screamed before a hand clapped over your mouth and you felt yourself being swept up into a pair of arms.


	3. Chapter Three

When you slowly blinked your eyes open again, you frowned at the sight of the inside of one chamber of the castle. Quickly remembering what had happened, you jumped to your feet, the arm that wrapped around your waist was the only thing that kept you from collapsing back onto the sofa behind you. You turned your head and felt yourself frown slightly seeing the face of Sir Wonshik.

“Oh thank goodness you’re awake!” The sound of the prince’s voice from behind you surprised you. “I thought you had been hurt. Are you okay? Princess?” Prince Jaehwan came into view and you were shocked to see the worry and concern on his face. Although when he pulled you into his arms, holding you against his chest, you felt your face flush before remembering the last thing you had seen before you apparently had fainted.

The image of your father with an arrow through his neck flashed through your mind again and you couldn’t stop the sob that burst forth. You felt Jaehwan tighten his arms around you as you sobbed against his chest, not caring about any possible improprieties in the action. Your father had been killed and if you were right in thinking, you were now locked away in one of the inner chambers of the castle while your father’s guards and advisors sought out the assassin and secured the castle against any possible attack or such.

You weren’t sure how long you stood in the prince’s arms crying for your father before slowly calming down. You kept your face hidden against the prince’s chest for a moment, feeling strangely safe in his embrace, before pulling back with a blush after realizing what you had been doing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“Nonsense. Are you okay, princess? You’re not hurt or anything, are you?” Jaehwan moved his hand to gently cup your cheek, worry still on his face. It was a bit of a surprise, having only seen him as the joking tease that he had been before. But seeing his worry for you seemed almost out of character.

You glanced around the room, realizing you were alone with the prince. “Where is everyone else? Hakyeon and your knight? And the new one pledged to me, Sanghyuk, too?” You felt a bubble of fear rising in your throat again and you hoped nothing had happened to anyone else. Although you remembered that Sir Wonshik had been here when you first awoke again.

“Your young knight insisted he help in the search for the assassin after being reassured that I would watch over you, and that advisor of yours had pulled a bow from somewhere and ran off into the crowds before I could figure out what was happening. I sent Sir Wonshik to find out the news for us and to help the others.”

You nodded before frowning with confusion again, moving to sit on the sofa. “But what exactly happened? Why would someone-” You couldn’t finish the sentence, not wanting to think of your father having been shot with an arrow.

The prince sighed before sitting on the sofa beside you. “I’m not sure. There has been some stirs of unrest from the southern kingdoms, my cousin couldn’t make it here for the tournament because he was busy in negotiations with one of the other kingdoms. From his last letter and what I gathered from his knight, there is a small alliance forming to try and settle the attempted uprisings and he’s looking into things to see what is going on. My older brother is spending the upcoming holiday with my cousin’s family to see how matters are progressing there as well. After our marriage, they were hoping your kingdom would openly join the alliance, as your army is one of the best trained in all the seven kingdoms. That’s part of why my father was as approving of the match as he was when I asked him, aside from his friendship with your father. Apparently one of the rebellion heard of the plans and decided to send an assassin to the tournament.” He took a breath, pausing for a moment before reaching to gently take your hand. “I’m not entirely sure if that arrow was meant for your father or you. While your father had been secretly aiding our alliance through his friendship with my father, he still claimed to be completely outside of it. But with our marriage, that would bring your kingdom into our alliance regardless of what your father could claim.”

The news was a lot to process and you felt yourself in a bit of shock. Your father had been aiding in an alliance to thwart an uprising. Your soon to be husband was a member of that alliance, and apparently important enough to know what exactly was going on and planned. The arrow that had no doubt killed your father might have been intended for you. You felt yourself start to grow faint again and closed your eyes, trying to block everything out. Surely this was just a bad dream and you would wake up and it would all be right again.

There was a commotion at the door to the chamber and Jaehwan jumped up, pulling his sword and standing between the door and you before it opened and Sir Wonshik stumbled in, helping to support a bloodied Hakyeon as he limped into the chamber. You jumped up and rushed around the prince, worry causing your heart to race again.

“Hakyeon! What happened?!” You helped to support him as he walked to the sofa you had just been sitting on. You tried to see what had happened to your friend, pushing past his attempts to stop your hands from pulling back the torn layers of his clothes. You gasped at the sight of several cuts, although the worst was a large gash on his right leg that was steadily losing blood. You hastily tore at the hem of your dress, pulling strips of fabric apart before starting to wrap around his leg.

“Princess! Stop, please, I’m fine.” Hakyeon tried to push your hands away, only to cause you to hurry and tie off the makeshift bandage before moving to fuss over another of his injuries. “Princess! _____!” The use of your name seemed to snap you from your slight haze and glanced up to see Hakyeon frowning at you before he reached and wiped your cheeks, unaware that you had been crying again. “I promise, I’m fine, princess. Don’t fret over me.” His voice was softer and you took a shaky breath, trying to calm yourself again before throwing your arms around him in a tight embrace.

“WHAT?!”

You jumped slightly at the sound of the prince’s shout before pulling away from Hakyeon and turning back to the prince and his knight. Sir Wonshik looked almost scared, but the prince looked more angry than you had seen anyone in quite some time and you were almost frightened as well. You felt Hakyeon take your hand, his fingers twining with yours in a familiar and comforting way.

The prince turned back to look at you and his frown deepened. “I’m sorry. It seems I was right. The arrow was intended for you. Sir Taekwoon managed to capture the assassin and get the answer out of him before he was killed by your young knight. The problem now is that before he died, the assassin said there was another here within the court. The assassin is likely going to target you again in hopes of succeeding in their initial goals. The murder of your father seemed to be an accident.”

You felt the strength give out of your legs and you fell backwards against the sofa, your mind a haze. This was all because of your upcoming marriage and the plot to thwart a rebellion. Your father had been killed, your best friend hurt, who knows how many others were wounded in the attack. All because of you. You closed your eyes, trying to will everything back into normalcy.

“There’s one other matter.” Hakyeon’s voice was soft from beside you, and you didn’t want to know what caused his voice to sound like it did. “We need to crown you before the week’s end. And to keep from potentially gaining more enemies, we’ll need to marry the two of you as well.”

You spun around to look at Hakyeon in disbelief. “I can’t Hakyeon! This is all too fast! How do we know that Jaehwan isn’t connected to these assassins?! My father is dead and now I’m being rushed into marrying him? No, I can’t.” You felt yourself on the verge of hysterics, unable to breathe.

“How could you even think that, princess?! Do you know what those people have done to my prince?!” Sir Wonshik’s voice was louder than you had heard it as he took a few steps towards you, before being stopped by the prince placing a hand on the knight’s arm.

“Wonshik, it’s fine. She doesn’t know, and she’s likely still in shock from it all. With everything happening, it’s good for her to be suspicious. She’ll survive that way.” Jaehwan’s voice was softer than you had heard it, almost hurt. “I swear to you, _____, I am not in any way connected to those monsters. If you want proof, I’ll share my reasons why I want them all to be punished. But I would request that you not ask it of me.” He stared at your face for a moment before turning away, pacing slightly.

“Princess! Open the door, it’s Sanghyuk! Sir Taekwoon is with me too!” There was a shout from the other side of the door before a loud knock. The prince had his sword drawn again, moving to stand in front of you while Sir Wonshik cautiously went to open the door, his own sword held in his hand as well.

When the door opened wide enough, the other two knights shuffled in before the door was closed again. Sanghyuk rushed over to kneel in front of you, a look of almost worry on his face. “Are you hurt princess? The prince said he would watch over you, or I would have never left your side. I swore to protect you and I won’t let anything happen to you. The assassin is dead. I made sure of it myself. And it was not swift or painless, as dishonorable as it may be. I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.” He looked down at the floor, his voice lowered. “Punish me if you wish, princess. I’ll pay the price for my temper.”

A scoff sounded from the corner of the room and you turned to see Sir Taekwoon giving Sanghyuk a frown. “He barely left anything to distinguish the body had been a human.” His voice was the soft flat tone you had come to expect with him, so you weren’t sure what his opinion on Sanghyuk’s actions were. Although from the sound of things it was something truly serious and violent, and you shuddered slightly at the thought.

“The castle watch and knight’s guard have stopped the small attack and secured the main castle, so you can go back to your own chambers if you would like? Or meet with the other lords? Speak with the priest about arrangements for your father?” Sanghyuk sounded unsure and you took a shaky breath at the mention of arrangements for your father.

You nodded before forcing yourself to stand. “Of course. I’ll meet with the priest and settle the arrangements for my father and discuss what will need to be done for the wedding and coronation.” You sighed softly, looking at the floor for a moment before squaring your shoulders with the best impression of your mother you could muster at the moment before turning to the prince. “We’ll marry as soon as the priest can perform the ceremony and then I will destroy these rebels who have disrupted my kingdom and murdered my father. My army is the best trained in all the seven kingdoms, as you have said, and I will not stop until they have all been hunted down and wiped out. You can choose to join me or simply leave for your home again.”

The prince’s face broke out into a slow smile, softer and more genuine. “Princess, I don’t think I’ve ever admired you more. I will gladly help you. You have my word.”

You nodded before turning back to where Hakyeon was still sitting. The expression on his face was unreadable and you were a little worried before he gave the slightest hint of a nod, relief coursing through you at his approval. “I’m sure one of the others will help you to your chambers, Hakyeon. They’ll fetch the surgeon for you as well. I don’t want you to even think of moving until you’ve been properly bandaged. I’ll have Sanghyuk with me while I speak with the priest, then I’m going to my own chambers. I’ll come see you after I’ve had a rest.”

“Princess, take Wonshik with you as well. It’s not that I don’t trust your young knight, he’s proven to be a loyal servant to you, but it will ease my mind to know that you’ll be safer with him.” The prince’s voice interrupted you and you turned to frown slightly at him. “Sir Taekwoon and I can manage your advisor. I might not appear it, but I am quite capable with a sword myself.”

You turned back to Hakyeon with a fond smile. “If that will be okay with you?” You managed to keep from laughing at the hint of a teasing smile on his face before shrugging. “You’re welcome to put an arrow in either of them if they try anything.” The prince laughed loudly and you turned to give him a blank stare. His laughter slowly faded and you turned back to the two knights who were to accompany you. “Let’s go.”


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that everyone who stumbles across this little story enjoys. I have several chapters already written and published on my tumblr account, so you are always welcome to check it out there along with any of our other stuff we have posted. Feel free to let me know what you think.
> 
> I hope you're all having a great day / night :)

You stood in front of the priest in your personal study, taking a shaky breath as you signed all the paperwork and official documents needed for the marriage and coronation later. As most of the influential nobles and pretty much everyone important were already in the castle for the tournament that had been canceled after your father’s murder, you decided to simply go ahead with the other arrangements. The priest and Hakyeon had both decided that your wedding would appear best as a small ceremony and the coronation to follow a few weeks later. It would be a long month, and you were sure to be exhausted in every way you could be exhausted, but your people needed you to be strong.

“Princess?” Sanghyuk’s voice brought you back from your thoughts and you turned to face the young knight. “If you’ve settled everything, where would you like to go now? Should we retire to your chambers? You look exhausted enough to collapse again.”

You could tell the young knight was worried about you, and the threat of collapsing wasn’t too much of a stretch with how the last two days had been, but you simply wanted to get everything over with and try to find some sense of normalcy again. Of course your life was never going to be normal in the same way ever again, for many reasons.

“I want to go check on Hakyeon first. Knowing how he is, I’m sure he’s driving Sir Taekwoon out of his mind from being stuck in bed.” You smiled to yourself at Sanghyuk’s laugh. The young knight had quickly fit himself into your small household and seemed to completely hit it off with Hakyeon, which was a definite mark of someone’s character in your eyes. Plus the knight didn’t seem afraid of you and your position, he continued to treat you like any other person without holding back.

Sanghyuk nodded and held out a hand to motion you ahead, walking beside you. “I’m sure if he gets to be too much Sir Taekwoon could always shut him up. Or just walk out. I’m not sure why he’s agreed to stay and help with how things are at the moment anyways. I know his prince and Prince Jaehwan are cousins, but surely there’s a limit to his duties right?”

The look he gave you was clear that he was both curious and hoping that he wouldn’t have to play nursemaid to your advisor, and it made you laugh. “Why? Are you second-guessing your pledge to me?”

Sanghyuk stopped in his tracks with a frown, shaking his head. “Of course not! Why would you doubt me like that, princess? I swore to protect and serve you and I am not going to back down on my word.”

You smiled softly at the knight, reaching to place a hand on his arm. “I was merely teasing. Of course I don’t doubt your loyalty. Especially now.” You shook your head with a small sigh. “Let’s go see how Hakyeon is doing. Then I might try and rest before the final night of father’s rites.”

You walked the rest of the way to Hakyeon’s room in silence, your thoughts a mass of tangled strings that you were too exhausted to try and sort out. Although when you reached Hakyeon’s room, you raised an eyebrow at the sight of Sir Taekwoon and Sir Wonshik sitting outside playing a dice game. When they noticed you, Sir Wonshik quickly jumped up and bowed, nearly tripping over his own feet.

“Princess. What are you doing here? I mean, weren’t you meeting with the priest?” Wonshik blushed slightly and you grew even more suspicious.

“I finished settling everything. I came to check on Hakyeon. I should ask you what you’re doing here. I thought Jaehwan had a council with his father and uncle.” You raised an eyebrow, noticing the knight’s nervousness as he stood in front of Hakyeon’s door. “Sir Wonshik? What is going on?”

He shook his head, shuffling nervously on his feet and avoiding your eyes. “Nothing, princess.”

You heard a small sort of scoffing noise from Sir Taekwoon and frowned slightly. “Step aside, Sir Wonshik.” When he shook his head, you raised an eyebrow before turning to Sanghyuk. “If you would?”

Sanghyuk nodded with a smirk before taking a step towards Sir Wonshik, who jumped slightly. You took the opportunity and slipped around the knight and entered Hakyeon’s room only to stop at the sight before you.

Jaehwan jumped to his feet at the sound of the door being thrown open, his cheeks blushing as he quickly shoved the folder of papers he had been holding behind his back, accidentally dropping a few pages. “Princess! I didn’t-”

Hakyeon’s laughter made you turn your attention to your best friend, who was sitting up in his bed with several folders of papers scattered across his lap. “I knew this would happen.”

You walked farther into the room, watching as Jaehwan hurriedly knelt to gather the papers he had dropped, keeping his eyes away from yours. “What’s going on? Jaehwan? Hakyeon?” You glanced between the two of them, frown crossing your face. With all the unrest and upheaval, you really didn’t want to suspect your soon to be husband and your best friend of conspiring against you already.

“The prince asked for lessons. On your kingdom, and about you.” Hakyeon gave you a smirk and you felt the frown dropping. “He was right in suspecting that I would know the most about how your kingdom works. And in knowing the most about you.” Hakyeon’s wink made you blush and drop your eyes to the floor.

“It wasn’t like that! I just .. we’re about to be married. I wanted to try and be a good husband to you. Even if you may not have picked me, I don’t want you to hate me.” You turned to look at Jaehwan, shocked to find him staring at you with an almost vulnerable expression. You felt your heart flutter for a moment before suppressing the thought. You couldn’t let yourself get pulled in so easily. You had to keep a level head and think of your kingdom first.

Sanghyuk’s laughter brought you out of your thoughts and you turned to find the young knight nearly doubled over in laughter. “I am going to enjoy serving you both. This is more entertaining than the bard’s tales.”

You glared at Sanghyuk, even though he didn’t seem to notice, only stopping his laughter when Sir Taekwoon hit him in the side. “Regardless what you think of your royals, laughing at them is against the knight’s code. Wait until they’re not in front of you. Then you can laugh.”

Hakyeon burst out laughing at Taekwoon’s words as well, giving you a smirk. “True. Regardless of what they may do or ask of you, keeping your opinions to yourself is the utmost importance in serving royalty. Always keep that in mind. Especially with our princess.”

You turned to glare at Hakyeon, a little shocked at the sudden group attack. Then Sir Wonshik stepped into the room with a low chuckle. “I doubt our princess could be quite as bad as him though. Perhaps they are a perfect match then?”

You turned to Jaehwan, both of you seeming incredulous at the teasing from those in your households. “I think we may need to restaff our households when we marry. It seems we have unruly and disrespectful people in place at the moment.” You smirked slightly at his smile. “We have a full week, but surely within a fortnight we’ll have time to compile a more loyal household.”

Jaehwan was about to respond when a knock from the doorway caused you to turn and see one of the kitchen servants looking nervously around the room at everyone. “Uhm, pardon your highness, Cook asked me to tell you dinner was prepared and we’re set for the final night of our late king’s rites.”

The reminder was like a bucket of cold water dumped over your head and you felt your spirits dropping again. You gave the servant a nod and watched as they hurried back out of the room, no doubt made nervous by the three knights who had all quickly drawn their swords at the sound of the knocking out of habit. You took a shaky breath before turning back to the others. “Shall we?”

You watched as Sir Taekwoon moved to help Hakyeon from his bed, supporting him as he started to make his way to the great hall. Sir Wonshik was quick to move on Hakyeon’s other side, the two knights practically carrying your advisor between them. Sanghyuk stayed by your side, waiting for you to move. As much as you might want this to be some horrible nightmare, you knew that waiting around would solve nothing. You took another deep breath and squared yourself for the ceremony that would await.

Faltering slightly as your knees threatened to give out for just a moment, you were a little surprised to feel Jaehwan’s arm steadying you as he looked down at you, concern on his face. “Are you okay? Let me help you.” You didn’t want to appear weak in front of your people, but a part of you simply wanted to bury your face against his chest and sob again. Instead, you simply nodded and stood a little straighter, compromising by holding his arm in what you hoped could pass as simply a royal escorting pose.

“You can do this, my princess. I’ll be by your side through it all. Lean on me if you must.” Jaehwan’s voice was low enough that you knew no one could overhear him as you walked towards the great hall, and you felt your heart give another small flutter.


End file.
